About this item

Issue date:
19 May 2023
Status:
Current
Corporate Author:
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora,
Type:
Guide,
Topic:
Bowel screening, Screening,
Copyright status:

© Crown Copyright, Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

ISBN:
978-1-99-106717-3

These guidelines are intended for use by clinicians and health professionals working in primary health care and Districts that provide health care services to NBSP participants. The guidelines describe best clinical practices and consist of systematically developed recommendations designed to assist clinicians and participants in shared decision-making.

 

New Zealand has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the western world, and bowel cancer is the second highest cause of cancer death in the country (Te Aho o Te Kahu, 2021).

Lung cancer and colorectal cancer account for the highest number of cancer deaths each year (around 1,700 and 1,200 respectively).

Bowel screening every two years can help save lives by helping identify the presence of a cancer at an early stage. People who are diagnosed with early-stage bowel cancer and receive treatment early, have a 90 percent chance of long-term survival. Bowel screening can also detect polyps, which may develop into a cancer over a number of years. Most polyps can be easily removed, thus reducing the risk of bowel cancer developing.

These guidelines are intended for use by clinicians and health professionals working in primary health care and Districts that provide health care services to NBSP participants. The guidelines are in keeping with  best clinical practice and  are designed to ensure quality and consistency of clinical decisions along the screening pathway.